By Sarah Woodward
Ritts/Hayden, the Los Angeles-based production house headed by executive producer Bill Hayden, has signed Australian director P.E. Goldman for exclusive commercial representation in the U.S. The signing marks Goldman’s first foray into the stateside spot market.
The Sydney-based director will continue to be repped in Australia by 8 Commercials, Sydney, where he is known as Paul Goldman. (He opted to use his initials in the U.S. market so as not to be confused with director Paul Goldman of bicoastal Cohn+Company.)
Goldman joined 8 Commercials in early ’99. The company also represents Ritts/ Hayden partner/director Herb Ritts and director Lance Kelleher in the Australian market. Hayden first became aware of Goldman through that association. "I’m a big fan of his work," the executive producer said. "Once I met him, I realized that our personalities matched very well."
The director, who has been helming spots for about six years, also pointed to "an immediate sense of trust and understanding" as his reason for joining Ritts/Hayden. "That’s a great foundation for a relationship," he said, adding that "Ritts/Hayden is a company I respect; [it’s] a company that has had their doors open for quite a while, and that is doing really good work."
Goldman studied film at the Swinburne Institute of Technology (now part of the Victorian College of the Arts), Melbourne. After graduation, he began helming music videos in Australia, the U.S. and the U.K., through both his own company, The Rich Kids, Melbourne, and London-based Media Lab.
In ’87, Goldman returned to Australia to serve as DP on Ghosts of the Civil Dead. John Hillcoat directed the controversial political feature, which toured the festival circuit and was released abroad. However, Goldman said, "At the end of my experience, I decided to trade my DP hat for a director’s hat."
At that point, Goldman returned to directing clips. In ’90, his music video for Elvis Costello’s "Veronica" won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video. Other notable clips include Costello’s "I Wanna Be Loved" and Berlin’s "No More Words."
Eventually, Goldman decided to explore the spot market. After joining Sydney-based Whoshotthat? in ’94, the director, a self-described "visual storyteller," decided to also take a postgraduate course in theater at Australia’s prestigious National Insti-tute of Dramatic Arts, Sydney. "I took some time to specifically hone my skills as a director," Goldman said.
He stayed with Whoshotthat? for three years prior to joining now defunct Black. He worked out of that company for two years, until its partners went their separate ways and the operation was taken over by bicoastal/international @radical.media last year (SHOOT, 4/30/99, p. 7). Goldman opted to join 8 Commercials, which had been courting him for some time.
Goldman’s spot credits include ads for Telstra telecommunications via DDB, Melbourne; ANZ fund management out of M&C Saatchi, Sydney; FOX Sports via Whybin Lawrence TBWA, Pyrmont, Australia; and Honda via Ammirati Puris Lintas, Sydney. The director also helmed "Prostate" for the Garvin Institute of Medical Research out of Batey Kazoo, The Rocks, Australia. That ad won a Gold World Medal for philanthropic appeals at the New York Festivals for Television & Cinema Advertising, and was recognized for outstanding creativity at the Mobius Advertising Awards, Elmhurst, Ill. A strikingly cinematic and ominous spot, "Prostate" shows busy business people walking through city streets, stepping over the bodies of men who have died from prostate cancer.
Goldman joins a directorial roster that, in addition to Ritts and Kelleher, includes directors Stewart Douglas, Anthony Easton, Mike Figgis, Jon Hollis, Daniel Kleinman and Sharon Maguire. The company is represented by Holly Ross of Los Angeles-based Red on the West Coast; Rich Newman and Sue Rosen of Rich Newman & Associates, Chicago, in the Midwest; and Peter McCann and Kathy Misrock of CMP, New York, on the East Coast.
Endeavor Group Sells Professional Bull Riders, On Location and IMG To Parent of WWE and UFC
The parent company of WWE and UFC is buying Professional Bull Riders, On Location, and IMG from Endeavor Group in an all-stock deal valued at $3.25 billion.
The deal is part of Endeavor's efforts to shed some of its assets as it looks to be taken private in a proposed transaction with private equity firm Silver Lake, which was announced in April. Ariel Emanuel, who serves as CEO of Endeavor, is also executive chair and CEO of TKO.
Professional Bull Riders is a bull riding league that has more than 200 annual live events, approximately 1.25 million fans, and reaches more than 285 million households in more than 65 territories. On Location is live event company for more than 1,200 sporting events, such as the Super Bowl, Ryder Cup and NCAA Final Four. IMG is a distributor and producer of sports content, packages and sells media rights and brand partnerships, and provides consulting, digital services and event management to clients such as the National Football League and National Hockey League.
Parent company TKO Group said Thursday that the acquisition from Endeavor Group will complement its existing businesses as well as broaden its reach in the premium sports market.
"PBR, On Location, and IMG are industry-leading assets that meaningfully enhance TKO's portfolio and strengthen our position in premium sports globally," TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro said in a statement. "Within TKO, they will help power the growth of our revenue streams and position us to capture even more upside from some of the most attractive parts of our sports ecosystem: media rights, live events, ticket sales, premium experiences, brand partnerships, and site fees."
As part of the deal, Endeavor will receive about 26.14 million common units of TKO... Read More